Kevin Kitson, David Jimenez's attorney, explained that his client was given permission to clean the crucifix, which was in desperate need of some tender, loving care. Holding the 600 pound statue in place was a single screw, one that would ultimately prove worthless in the long run.

Let's take this out of the religious arena for a while. And try to match it with another similar institution.

Say this happened at Penn State, at the Football offices for instance. If something fell from the stadium and forced the amputation of a leg, $3M would be altogether a common claim, even if the guy made a little money betting on games earlier.

ArkAngel:The church should counter sue for payment for saving his wife

You'd not only have to find a way to demonstrate that the Almighty intervened on his wife's behalf (and no, her cancer going into remission isn't prima facie evidence of this, cancer goes into remission all the time even when no one prayed for it), and also that this was somehow arranged by the church itself. Even if you did manage to argue this in a court of law, this still would not let the church off the hook for securing that crucifix in such a substandard fashion. Being a church doesn't excuse such haflassed engineering and workmanship, frankly.